Tamika Chesser and Julian Story: Trash TV Murder

Tamika Chesser and Julian Story 

Outside of her modeling work, we don’t know a lot about Tamika. But we do know that at some point, she made her way to Port Lincoln and started dating Julian Story. There isn’t a lot of information about their relationship, but we do know that it was serious enough for the pair to be living together in Port Lincoln. She joins the ranks of Ash Armand and Ryan Jenkins, reality TV personalities--I refuse to call these people stars, and sometimes I think calling them personalities is going a bit too far, but I digress--who have been accused of murdering their partner. 

Tamika Chesser in her Reality TV days (credit: Marieclaire.com.au)

Who is Tamika Chesser

The burning question that I’m sure is on everyone’s mind is Who is Tamika Chesser? Tamika Chesser was the runner-up on Beauty and the Geek Australia—a show where attractive women competed for the affections of geeky suitors. After going back and watching a few episodes of the show, I can confidently say that she did a decent job of playing the dumb, hot, blonde bimbo stereotype, but she wasn’t charming enough to win the show. Still, she was a solid runner-up.

After Beauty and the Geek, she kept herself in the Australian spotlight by doing modeling work for Ralph, FHM, and a few other popular Australian lad mags. She also dipped her toes into the world of television on the show "I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" in 2012, and was a Channel 9 Extra model before transitioning into a mid-range influencer and OnlyFans model. Eventually, her modeling and TV work would lead her to the community of Port Lincoln, part of the seafood capital of Australia on the Eyre Peninsula. 

It's unclear if she met Julian after she moved to Port Lincoln or if she moved to Port Lincoln to be with Julian. But by all accounts, the couple led a relatively normal and mundane life with their three dogs in a quiet suburban neighborhood: just a pretty blonde lady, her man, and their dogs living life.

What Happened to Julian Story

Julian Story and his dog in happier times (credit: abc.au.com)

The drama happened on June 19, 2025. What started as a typical day of June gloom took a turn when a neighbor in Julian and Tamika’s complex noticed smoke emanating from the windows of their unit. Worried that there was a fire that was liable to spread, the neighbor stepped outside to see what was going on. When he stepped out of his apartment, he saw Tamika locking the door, wearing a hoodie, looking every inch like a woman who was going out to walk her dogs on a rainy day.

The neighbor told Tamika that he could see smoke coming out of her windows, only for Tamika to tell him that nothing was wrong, lock her door, and leave to walk her dogs. Now, because the neighbor is a person with eyes and a functioning brain, he knew that Tamika’s story was bullshit. 

The neighbor went back into his apartment and got a bucket of water. He managed to get into Tamika and Julian’s back door and followed the smoke into the couple’s bathroom, where he found a small fire had been started with a pile of rags and debris on fire in the middle of the floor. It would take two buckets of water, but the neighbor was able to put the fire out. Once the neighbor was sure that the immediate danger of the fire spreading was over, they rang emergency services to alert the fire department and report the attempted arson. 

The firefighters arrived and were able to confirm that the fire danger was over. But as they poked through the pile of rags and debris on the bathroom floor, they found what looked to be the charred human remains. Since murder is out of the purview of the fire department, the firefighters contacted the police. 

Once the police were on the scene, they removed the rest of the rags and debris to find a severely burned and dismembered human remains that were missing its head.  It was clear to the South Australian police that they were dealing with some foul play; they didn't know who the remains belonged to. A quick investigation into who leased the apartment gave them the name of Julian Story. While they were reasonably sure that their beheaded body belonged to Julian, his remains were so severely burned that they wouldn't be able to confirm his identity without the missing head.

Where is Ms. Chesser?

Because she isn’t a master criminal, Ms. Chesser was found by the police not long after the body was found inside her apartment. The police found Tamika and her dogs in a neighbor's yard, sitting in a lawn chair in a catatonic and unresponsive state.

Tamika was arrested for the murder of Julian Story on the spot. Still, because of her comatose state, she was taken to a mental health facility while the investigation into Julian’s murder was underway. 

Now, the police went into this investigation assuming that the charred remains in the bathroom were those of Julian Story. However, the body in the bathroom was so severely burned that it was impossible to identify the body with the remains that they had. To further complicate the case, Julian’s head was missing. And after hours and hours of searching, the police couldn’t locate the only part of the body that might lead them to an identification of Julian Story.

When this sleepy South Australia community found out that there had been a gruesome slaying in their midst, the community was distressed, knowing that the former beauty brought cold comfort in the wake of the death of Mr. Story.

A Plea to the Public

While Tamika had been arrested for the murder of Julian Story, the cops couldn’t really charge her with Julian’s murder without first being able to positively identify him as the victim that had been found in the bathroom. Without an identification of the body, you don’t have a murder, just a burned body in the bathroom. 

After extensive searching for Julian’s missing head, the police decided to put out a plea to the community to help them piece together Tamika’s movements leading up to Julian’s death, and maybe lead them to where his skull is. The police were asking the public for CCTV footage, dash cam footage, or anything else that would show Chesser's movements from June 17th, when they felt the slaying was committed, to June 19th, when the fire and Julian’s charred remains were found.

Since there is no apparent motive for the slaying, the police were looking for anyone who knew anything about the relationship between Tamika and Julian. Julian was a Port Lincoln native, but Tamika was new to the community, having been there less than a year. The Eyre Peninsula is a small, tight-knit community, and many members of the public reached out to help locate the skull and provide comfort to the Story family.

South Australia Police searching for Julian's head (credit: abc.au.com)

The Head of Julian Story 

On July 31, 2025, the South Australia Police's plea to the community of Port Lincoln finally paid off. The police got a call from someone in the community that they had found what looked to be a human skull. The person making the report was walking their dog on a popular hiking trail and saw what looked like a skull, and contacted the police.

When the police came out to the hiking trail, they found a skull and some other items that they suspect may belong to Julian, but because this investigation is still in progress, the police haven’t released what other items have been found. With a human skull found, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke

Through forensic testing, the police were able to determine that the skull found on the hiking trail is indeed that of Julian Story. With the discovery of Mr. Story's head, Tamika Chesser was officially charged with murder and dismemberment on July 31st.

On-going Investigation

While Tamika has been charged with Julian’s killing, the South Australian police confirmed they are still investigating what her motive may have been. They are looking into the relationship between the couple and Tamika’s movements before and after her arrest, but no other details have been disclosed. 

As the investigation continues, Julian’s family sent their heartfelt thanks to the Port Lincoln community for their help in finding the last of Julian’s remains, and is now preparing for his funeral. 

For their part, Tamika’s family says that she needs serious help with her mental health after a lifetime of abuse and trauma. There are no details as to what kind of trauma and abuse Tamika has suffered. Neither her family nor the authorities has come forward with specifics about her mental health. But honestly, does that matter? If she was abused at moments in her life, my heart goes out to her. But I can’t think of anything that would justify killing Julian and decapitating him.

Now that she has been charged with homicide, the suppression order that had kept her name out of the public eye in the early days of the investigation has been lifted. Tamika Chesser appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link recently. The former reality TV personality is expected to go to trial in December 2025.